


Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

by twistedmiracle



Series: Folk Songs [4]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: And his husband, And they are really excited to have a gay nephew, But there's something important they don't know, M/M, We finally meet Uncle Thomas, and their dog, they live in nyc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-19 14:44:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistedmiracle/pseuds/twistedmiracle
Summary: Uncle Thomas and Eric finally get a chance to sit down together and talk.





	1. I guess Mom was right

**Author's Note:**

> Thus ends the Folk Songs series. We started with MooMaw’s perspective on Eric, moved to Suzanne, then saw things from Jack’s point of view. Last, we check in with Uncle Thomas and his husband, Andy Besser. 
> 
> A million thank yous to JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle who offered to beta and then did both a bang-up AND a super-fast job THREE TIMES!! Any remaining mistakes are definitely mine alone.
> 
> Title is from the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. Here is a video of a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band／Johnny Cash／Ricky Skaggs version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bRJLkNqNXI

Thomas ended the phone call and stared at Ru, who wagged her tail at him, rhythmically thumping it into the leg of the coffee table. 

“Andy?” he called out. 

“Dinner!” Andy called back, and Thomas stood. “C’mon, Ru baby,” he cooed to the dog. “Let’s get you fed so Andy and I can eat in peace, hm?”

Halfway through dinner, Andy finally asked. 

“It was my … nephew,” Thomas said, staring at what was left of his chicken breast and broccoli. 

Andy raised an eyebrow and waited.

“Mom called about him, on the fourth. She said she was pretty sure he was gay and she hoped I could reach out to him. At first, I thought Mom was going on stereotypes. She was telling me about how he was a figure skater, loves his mother, loves to bake. I told her I had to get back to our guests, that I would think about it.”

“But you called her back?” Andy asked gently. 

“Yeah,” Thomas said, idly petting Ru’s ear. Her muzzle was in his lap. He debated giving her his last bite of chicken but knew Andy would frown.

“I finally called her back yesterday. My 3:30 cancelled and I suddenly had some time, and I realized I hadn’t really … . Anyway. Yeah. Turns out, she thinks Eric is gay because he seems to have a boyfriend.”

“How old is Eric now?” Andy asked.

Thomas sighed, because he knew all those kinds of details about Andy’s sisters' kids, but even he wasn’t completely clear on how old David and Judy’s girls were, and sometimes he forgot their names. There were only three of them, too.

“He’s 20,” Thomas said. “Just finished his second year of college. He’s at Samwell, near Boston.”

“Whoa!” Andy whistled. “That’s a good school, but did you know its other rep?”

“No?”

“One in four, maybe more,” Andy quoted. “It’s probably the most QUILTBAG-friendly college on the East Coast.”

“Huh. I guess that explains ... . Wait, you know this how?” Thomas asked, finally feeling amused. “Mr. Proud CalTech alum?”

“They have a great CS program,” Andy said, and smiled. “We’ve interviewed several recent Samwell grads just this summer. We’re probably going to hire one, too. Kid named Corky or something? She’s sharp as a tack and as gay as us. And she made it pretty clear during the interview that she wasn’t coming to work for a firm any less supportive than Samwell had been.”

“Is that why you were there in the interview?” Thomas asked. 

Andy laughed out loud and stood up to start clearing the table. Thomas stood and grabbed his plate. 

“No, love, I was there because she’d be in my department. _Kalei_ was there to entice Corky with something beyond a competitive salary.”

“Kalei?” Thomas said, trying to remember while Andy scraped the dishes. “Box braids, big boots, roller derby tattoo?”

“Rainbow flag in her cube, tank tops in the office … yep. You’ve got the right baby dyke. Corky definitely noticed her right away, too. It was cute. And I hope it worked, to be honest. I really want to hire that kid and I’m not sure Franner is going to offer the best benefits package. But that’s not the important thing we should be talking about.”

Thomas rolled up his sleeves and pulled the rubber gloves on to start washing the dishes. 

“You’re right,” he sighed. “Eric. Mom convinced me he was probably gay for real, not just someone’s idea of a stereotype, so I sent him a text. Gave him my name, number, good times to call, really brief.”

“And he called while I was cooking?” 

Thomas nodded. Andy was leaning against the dishwasher they never used unless they had a dinner party. “Is he gay?”

“Gay, closeted at home in Madison but not at college, has a brand new boyfriend who isn’t out at his new job, has to keep the relationship secret from all his friends on the hockey team even though they know he’s gay.”

“Wait,” Andy said. “Hockey team?”

Thomas put the last of the dinner dishes in the drying rack and started to work on the saucepan Andy had left soaking in the sink. 

“Yes. My little brother the high school football coach, who only managed to have the one child, apparently has a son who is short, used to figure skate competitively, loves to bake pies with his mother, and nonetheless got a full ride _hockey_ scholarship to play NCAA hockey at Samwell. A place he desperately wanted to attend because he has known he was gay since he was, and I quote, ‘knee-high to a grasshopper.’ And then he giggled at me over the phone.”

“Holy fuck,” Andy whispered. 

“Yeah,” Thomas said, “it gets better.”

“Wine,” Andy said decisively. “I’m getting the white wine out of the fridge and when you are done cleaning that pot you are telling me everything while we drink it and rub each other’s feet.”


	2. *family*; family

“Eric, of course you and Jack are welcome. Andy and I are eager to meet you both. And you do not have to sleep in a hotel! Andy and I have a guest room!”

“Oh!” Eric sounded surprised though the phone. “Well isn’t that nice! I just remembered MooMaw had to sleep on the couch that time she visited.”

Thomas leaned back in his chair until he could see the bland, white ceiling of his office. “That was something like 25 years ago, kid. I have a good job and so does Andy. We like to entertain. We really want to meet you. And Jack. Please come visit. Stay at our place. Mom says I should ask you to bake us a pie while you’re here.”

“I would love to! What’s your favourite pie flavor?”

“Mine? Apple, for sure. Oh, but, you don’t use lard in your pie crust, do you? Andy’s Jewish. He doesn't keep kosher, exactly, but lard is a step too far.”

“Isn’t that a hoot? I don’t use lard anymore, because Jack is the same way.”

“Really?” Thomas chuckled. “Andy will be even more eager to meet him. Where did you say he was from?”

“Montreal,” Eric said. “But his mother is from California. He has dual citizenship.”

“Big Jewish community in Montreal,” Thomas said, doodling potentially impossible flying buttresses with a pen he particularly liked. “Andy says their bagels are lousy, but I think it’s a joke. Some sort of … bagel rivalry? New York versus Montreal. He’s got an aunt and uncle up there. Anyway, the important thing is you should text me a list of whatever ingredients I should have at the apartment and also a list of good weekends when you know what will work for Jack, too. You still haven’t told me what he does that keeps him in the closet and sometimes forces him to work weekends, by the way.” 

Thomas didn’t want to ask outright if Jack had some horrible, low-wage, entry-level job, but with caveats like that, it certainly sounded like it. Some sort of homophobic-as-hell local Starbucks ripoff, or something. Code monkey for some Christian nutcase. Probably not a church if he was Jewish. That gave Thomas another thought. Not all Jews were like Andy's family. Bitty's boyfriend could be hiding his relationship from Orthodox, even Hasidic parents. Well, whatever was keeping their heads down, it would be nice to treat the boys to a bit of a fancy weekend in the City.

“Ingredient list and good weekends,” Eric said, instead of answering. It sounded like he was writing things down. “Do y’all follow any teams there in New York?”

“Andy is a tennis fanatic,” Thomas said, smiling. “He plays in the Maccabiah Games every four years. He’s won a few medals, even.” Thomas could hear the pride in his own voice. “But we both love the Knicks. Basketball is a sport I didn’t really learn about til I came up north, but now I’m a die-hard fan. Why, would you want to go to a game? Basketball doesn’t start until October but I know you like hockey, and your dad loves football. I’m sure we could find tickets to something, even with only a few weeks notice.”

“Um, no, that’s all right, I’m sure we’d rather see New York City and spend time with y’all,” Eric said, sounding odd. 

Thomas wondered why the hell Eric had brought up sports if he didn’t want to see a game. But he hadn’t even met the kid, yet. He could press him later. 

“I’ve been wondering,” Eric asked, his accent coming on a little stronger, “how long you’n Andy been together?”

“We met in 1999,” Thomas said. He picked up a photo of them holding hands and looking into one another’s eyes while standing under the chuppah. “And we got married in 2011, right after New York finally got its act together.” He smiled at the photo of them. Jen had been so stealthy that he’d barely noticed her darting all over the sanctuary with her big, quiet camera while he and Andy had walked down the aisle, listened to Rabbi Naomi, and then spoken their vows. Of all the good photos she’d taken that day, this was his favorite. 

“Married!” Eric sounded very surprised. “Does MooMaw know?”

“She knows,” Thomas said, frowning. He put the photo back on his desk. “But she didn’t come to the wedding because we didn’t really invite very many people. There was this thing, with health insurance, and work, and we’d always wanted to get married but suddenly it looked like our domestic partnership had been dissolved and, well, we just called his Mom’s rabbi and a handful of friends and had a wedding one Sunday afternoon in July.”

“Gosh,” Eric breathed. 

“It was actually really nice,” Thomas reassured him. “Even if we only spent three days planning it. But we can tell you all about it when you are here.”

“I’d love that,” Eric said, and he sounded achingly sincere.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Thomas got home before Andy that night, and he took Ru out for her evening walk. When they returned, Andy was almost done changing out of his business suit and into shorts and a tank top.

“Sorry I missed seeing you in that fab new suit of yours,” Thomas said, leaning against the doorway as Andy hung a light blue summer suit back in the closet.

“Take me to Momofuku and you’ll get a chance,” Andy said, winking. He stepped over to Thomas and kissed him hello. Thomas would have liked to let things escalate, but Ru was having none of it. She squirmed between them, whining and stepping on their feet. Andy snorted and kissed Thomas once more, this time on the cheek; then he bent down to rub Ru’s ears and laugh at her. 

“You big dork,” he said, letting Ru lick his face. “Who’s the dorkiest dog? Dorkedy dog!”

Thomas laughed and headed for the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. “White or red?” he asked. Andy followed him, Ru on his heels.

“Red. And let’s order pizza tonight, all right?”

“You are so bad for my waistline,” Thomas said, but he pulled the menu for their favorite pizza delivery place off the fridge. “Eric called me today, by the way.”

Andy looked over Thomas’ shoulder and pointed at the vegetarian pizza he wanted. 

“Like I didn’t already know you want the Veggie Deluxe,” Thomas said, reaching around back to pat Andy’s ass. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and found the number he wanted in his contacts.

Andy poured two half-glasses of red while Thomas ordered dinner, and they stood in the kitchen looking out the window into the courtyard for a pleasant moment of silence.

“So,” Andy finally said, turning just enough to put one hand on Thomas’ hip. “Eric?”

“Mom didn’t tell him about you,” Thomas sighed.

“She still misses Isaiah,” Andy answered.

Thomas turned to him in surprise. “Do you think that’s it?”

“I still haven’t met your mother,” Andy reminded him. “Don’t you think that’s odd? We’ve been together more than fifteen years.”

“If they had told me Dad was dying,” Thomas said, bitterness still clouding his voice. “As it was, I barely made the fucking funeral. Of course you couldn’t get off work with a few hours notice.”

“I’m not mad,” Andy reassured him.

“Well, maybe I am,” Thomas said, and finished his wine. He put the glass on the windowsill and turned to put his arms around his husband. Andy pulled him in close. “How long do you think my mother has been wondering if she should tell Eric about me? That poor, closeted kid. Christ. I wonder what I might have been able to do for him, if we’d only known about each other?”

Andy stroked Thomas’ back and hmmed, noncommittal.

“My mother might still miss Isaiah, but he’s been dead since Eric was an infant. My Dad didn’t want her coming up here to visit me again, visit us, but he’s been dead since 2001. Richie has a gay son, and he’s never once reached out to me.”

“You sound pretty mad,” Andy murmured into Thomas’ neck.

“Well, you know what? I am mad,” Thomas said. He squeezed Andy’s biceps once, then forced his hands to relax. “I usually don’t … need them. Don’t think about them. Don’t much care about them. I know I should call Mom more often—she’s been great. Well, mostly. Great enough. But finding out about Eric, it just …”

“Opens some wounds?”

“I guess? I didn’t think they were _wounds_ though. I love Jennifer and Shelley’s kids, you know that. I love being their uncle. I love being part of your family.”

“And they love you,” Andy said, pulling back so Thomas could look into his eyes and see his sincerity.

“It isn’t that I don’t have a family,” Thomas said. “I guess it’s that I suddenly have _family_ family. I mean, wouldn’t it feel kind of incredible if Jen or Shell called up and said to us hey, one of the kids just came out, can you come over and be--”

“A resource?”

“That’s a little dryer than I was thinking,” Thomas said, “but yeah, basically. I’ve never wanted to be a Dad, you know that.”

“One of the reasons I married you,” Andy joked.

“But as much as I’ve liked being ‘the gay uncle’ since Benjamin was born, being a _gay_ person’s gay uncle feels … really fucking cool.”

“For me, too,” Andy said quietly and squeezed Thomas once.

“Well, good,” Thomas said. “So maybe you understand why I’m angry at my Georgia family again, after all this time of not caring.”

“This time, it’s personal,” Andy said in a mock-serious accent.

“Well,” Thomas said. “Yeah. I guess that’s it.”

They stood in the window a few more minutes, until the buzzer announced that their pizza had arrived and Ru started barking.


	3. You look so much like him.

“Andy!” Thomas was so excited. He was a little surprised at himself. “Eric just texted! Their Lyft is on the George Washington Bridge!”

“Why the hell did they fly into Newark instead of Laguardia, again?”

“Oh hush, you snob,” Thomas said, laughing. “They took the most convenient flight, and you know it. I wish they had let me pay for their plane tickets. They can’t have two pennies to rub together. Christ, they’re almost here! Let’s go down and meet them!”

“I haven’t seen you this excited since you got the contract for the Brennan building,” Andy said, chuckling fondly as he squeezed Thomas' shoulder. But he clipped Ru’s leash on and grabbed his keys and some bags.

“Ru needs a real walk,” Andy said as they stepped out of the lobby onto the street. “You wait here. I’ll be back when she’s done. Text me when they arrive, all right?”

“All right,” Thomas said, distracted. Yellow cabs passed by, but Eric and Jack were in a Lyft and he had no idea what it looked like. Andy headed for the park and Thomas stood impatiently in front of their building, trying to enjoy the sunshine. 

Despite Thomas’ agitation, it wasn’t long before a grey sedan pulled up and stopped a few feet ahead of him. A tall, broad, handsome guy with dark hair — he looked just like the photo Eric had texted — got out on the street side, and on Thomas’ side, a short boy he would have recognized anywhere opened the door and shouldered his way out with a fully packed nylon gym bag in one hand. It was red and white, with SAMWELL emblazoned on it. Jack was carrying one just like it.

“Welcome to New York City!” Thomas yelped, eager to really look his nephew in the face. Eric was saying goodbye to the driver and Jack stepped over to shake Thomas’ hand. “You must be Jack! I'm Eric's Uncle Thomas. Look at you! You’re even taller than Andy,” Thomas said.

“I’m only 6’1”,” Jack said, looking slightly embarrassed. 

“We Bittle men are short,” Thomas laughed, looking up at his nephew’s boyfriend.

"It's a pleasure to be here," Jack said stiffly. "Thank you for having us."

“Gosh,” Eric said suddenly, and both of them turned to him. He was staring at Thomas, just looking into Thomas’ face. Even though Jack's discomfort was now in his peripheral vision, Thomas somehow felt sure Jack had never seen that look on Eric’s face before. 

“You look so much like Coach and Uncle David,” Eric finally said, in a voice a little choked with emotion. Thomas wrapped him in a warm hug and Eric sort of melted into it. 

Thomas held Eric in his arms with awe. This was his flesh-and-blood nephew. His gay nephew. Richie’s boy. This was Eric, his gay nephew who needed him. He hadn't seen this boy since his Dad's horrible funeral, when Eric was, what, six? He opened his eyes when he realized they were closed, and saw a strange, possibly unhappy look on Jack’s face. Uncomfortable, Thomas patted Eric’s back once and let go. 

“My husband, you can call him Uncle Andy if you like, he's walking Ru, our dog,” he said. “I promised I would text when you two arrived.”

“Of course!” Eric said, “Did you say the dog’s name is Roux? Like, a sauce thickener? Because I know we talked about how much I love to cook!” His big smile lit up the already sunny street. Hitting send on his text to Andy, Thomas just looked at him with a bit of wonder. Then the question registered, and he laughed, a little embarrassed.

“Um, no, not R-O-U-X. Her name is just R-U. Like, uh, RuPaul.” Thomas felt his cheeks get a bit warmer.

“Who is that?” Jack asked, and Thomas and Eric both swivelled their heads to look at him, in sync. 

“Honey, are you joshing me?” Eric asked, one hand on his hip, and Jack’s face stayed completely blank for a long second that Thomas didn’t know how to break. Then Jack winked at Eric, nice and slow, and Thomas laughed out loud.

“Oh thank goodness,” Thomas said. “Why don’t we go inside. Andy and Ru will be back when she’s had her fill of chasing pigeons, and that can take a bit.”

“Of course, of course,” Eric said, and he and Jack followed Thomas inside and into the elevator.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Thomas showed them to the guest room where they put their bags on the Queen size bed, but did not linger. They followed him into the kitchen where he opened the fridge to offer them drinks. Eric took a Coke and Jack just wanted water, and soon they were sitting at the kitchen table talking about their flight, which had been uneventful.

“So,” Thomas finally asked as he heard Andy’s key in the lock. “What do you do, Jack? Eric said you just graduated from Samwell, so I guess you just entered the job market?”

Ru whuffed out half a bark and rushed into the kitchen ahead of Andy. Thomas reached down to fluff her ear and pet her neck.

“I play hockey,” Jack said simply as Andy came into view.

“Oh,” Thomas said, slightly thrown. “I meant for work. I know you and Eric played hockey together at Samwell. He told me you were his team captain. That’s a heck of a way to meet a boyfriend, by the way. I approve. Andy and I both still play tennis and pick-up basketball games. Sports are a great way to keep in shape, and they are a lot of fun, but….”

Jack was looking at Eric, who looked a little amused.

“I thought we should wait to tell you until we got here,” Eric said as Andy grabbed a ginger ale and joined them at the table.

“Tell us what?” Andy said, and Jack straightened up slightly and looked uncomfortable. 

“I play hockey as my job,” he said, looking down at the table between them. “I just signed with the Providence Falconers, they’re an expansion team. The preseason starts next month. I’ve been training with the team most of the summer. It is pretty quiet right now, though, since a lot of the guys take vacations in August. So me being here at this time of year isn’t a problem for the team.”

Thomas stared at him. “ _That’s_ the job that means you can’t come out,” he said. “ _That’s_ why Eric’s friends can’t know about your relationship. Jesus Christ. That is … not what I expected.”

Jack blushed a little, but Thomas looked at Eric, who took Jack’s hand into his, and squeezed. 

“I’m so proud of him,” Eric said, looking first at Thomas, and then back at Jack. Thomas couldn’t help but smile. 

“As well you should be,” Thomas said, and Andy clapped Jack once on the back. 

“That’s pretty damn amazing,” Andy said. “Good for you! You must have worked your tail off to get where you are!”

“And you can trust us,” Thomas promised. “We won’t tell anyone your secret.”

“We totally understand why you want to stay in the closet,” Andy said, looking Jack right in the eye.

“Thanks, guys, that means a lot.” Jack sounded a little relieved. “Bitty was sure you would understand.”

“We felt you were surely safe to tell,” Eric said, he was still holding Jack’s hand, and now he was leaning his head against Jack’s shoulder. They were adorable together, Thomas decided. His gay nephew Eric, and Eric’s boyfriend, Jack. 

“Everyone at this table has been closeted,” Thomas said, wanting Jack to know he was trustworthy. “Everyone at this table has worried about who they could safely tell.”

“We’ve all been in locker rooms with strangers,” Andy said. 

Jack’s shoulders had gone all the way down.

“So,” Thomas said, thinking out loud. “This kind of changes my thoughts for this weekend!”

“Oh?” Eric asked, and finished his Coke.

“Well,” Thomas said, laughing lightly at himself. “I tried to guess what sort of job would keep Jack so incredibly closeted, and …”

“We guessed wrong,” Andy laughed. “Now that I know, I bet you don’t want to go out to the kinds of fancy, expensive restaurants where people tend to get photographed!”

“We knew you liked food and cooking,” Thomas told Eric, sheepish.

“That was so sweet,” Eric said. 

“Let’s order in Thai?” Thomas suggested, and everyone laughed and smiled.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Andy was kind enough to push Thomas back into his chair when he got up to clear the dinner table.

“Nobody cooked, love. I can rinse a few dishes and throw away a few cartons.” He kissed Thomas lightly on the lips and headed for the sink with a stack of dirty dishes already in his hands.

Eric followed Andy with his eyes, and Thomas wondered what he was thinking. It had to be good, because Eric was smiling. He did smile a lot. It was nice to see him happy. Thomas hoped he and Andy might have something to do with that. Andy began rinsing dishes and Eric's attention came back to the three of them at the table. Thomas watched his face. He was clearly choosing a question to ask.

“What was it like to grow up in Madison?” Eric said.

“It sucked,” Thomas said without fanfare. “My dad insisted I go out for football every year, even though I never made the team. Intentionally. Not that he ever figured that out. I finally convinced him it was a waste of time, but not until I was a junior. I had to go to church in a suit and tie every Sunday until I left for college. Nobody else at Morgan County High had the same interests as me. I pretty much never stopped drawing back then, which put me on every bully’s shit list. I wasn’t even 5 foot 9 by graduation day. I expect it wasn’t any better for you?”

Eric frowned and Jack took his hand. Thomas approved. He had already seen multiple times that Jack was a very supportive guy. Thomas had only met Eric two hours ago, but he already wanted his nephew to have everything good in the world. The kid was like a bottle of sunshine.

“No, it wasn’t any better. Though Madison was better than the town where I was born.” He sighed. “I was so glad to get out of Georgia.”

“I can relate,” Thomas said, leaning forward over the table. “I don’t think my parents ever really understood how desperately I needed to leave.”

“Yeah, my Mama and Coach …” Eric trailed off. 

“You aren’t out to them yet,” Thomas said. 

“No,” Eric agreed. “And now that I know how they all feel about you …” He sighed. Jack put an arm around him and he leaned in.

Andy came back to the table. “Anyone thirsty?” he asked.

Thomas stood. “I am. I’ll have a Sam Adams. What do you want, babe?”

Andy wanted a Genesee, Eric wanted another Coke (you could take the boy out of Georgia, but apparently you couldn’t take the Georgia out of the boy), and Jack was happy with another carbonated mineral water. Kid was clearly pretty strict about his diet, and why not? Thomas could admire his dedication. Thomas grabbed what everyone wanted from the fridge, and soon all four of them were comfortable in the living room. Ru was at Andy’s feet, chewing on a neon yellow “bone.”

“How old is Ru?” Jack asked.

“She’s almost three, right, love?” Andy said, looking at Thomas. 

“Yeah,” Thomas agreed, and he bent down to pat her flank. “She’s half French Bulldog, half Labrador Retriever. We’d never had a dog before, but we’d certainly thought about it enough, and then a former neighbor of ours was careless with her purebred Lab and the dog got out of her apartment while she was in heat.”

“And let me tell you,” Andy said, laughing, “Mrs Franz was _pissed_!”

“She sure was,” Thomas agreed, smiling. “There she was with four puppies she had to nearly beg people to take off her hands, instead of the pure Labs she had intended to sell.”

“So we figured, what the hell? And Ru is a great dog. We definitely made a good decision.” Andy patted Ru, and smiled at Thomas.

“How do you take care of a dog when you both work full time?” Jack asked, and Eric looked at him with some surprise, but let Thomas speak.

“Andy works from home two days a week now,” Thomas said. “And I come home for lunch to walk Ru every day. It's only 10 minutes on the subway, and it is good exercise for me to take her out for about 40 minutes every mid-afternoon.”

“That sounds like you have a very accomodating employer,” Eric said.

Thomas shrugged. “I’ve been with Rees, Griner, and Holcomb for 23 years. They know what I’m worth.”

“And it means I get stuck with the first walk of the morning,” Andy said, laughing.

“You hush,” Thomas said, knocking his shoulder into Andy’s. “You know we both do it most days. Ru loves to go running in the park with us,” Thomas told Eric and Jack.

“You run in the mornings?” Jack said, perking up a little. “Eric and I run together every morning we can. We’d love to run with you tomorrow.”

“No rest for the weary!” Andy joked. “We don’t usually run on Saturdays,” he admitted to Jack, “but we can run with you tomorrow. Ru will be thrilled.”

“I don’t want to pry,” Thomas said, unable to hold back any longer, “but I really have to ask. When you two got here, and I gave Eric a hug, you had … a look on your face, Jack. Do you remember what you were thinking?”

Jack frowned and took Eric’s hand into his own. “I do,” he said, frowning at the floor. “You look like your brother,” he began. "I met him when I visited Bitty over the July 4th weekend." Eric leaned against Jack’s side. “Bitty remarked on it right away, but he didn’t need to, for me to see it. It’s a strong family resemblance. And I saw Bitty getting a hug from a man who looks like his father, a hug that … had everything, you know? Acceptance, caring, welcome, understanding. From someone with a full picture of who Bitty actually is. And I was thinking that it would be a very long time, maybe forever, before Bitty got that kind of hug from Coach himself.” He frowned harder, but Eric pushed at his arm. Jack put that arm around Eric and then somehow, Eric was sitting in Jack’s lap.

He fit, too. _Jesus,_ Thomas thought, _the cuteness might just kill me._

The room felt heavy, all of a sudden, and so Thomas was grateful when Andy said something about being Jewish, and his aunt and uncle in Montreal. 

“Maman and Papa know about me,” Jack told them. “They don’t know about me and Bitty yet, but I can imagine that changing. We’ve only been dating since the middle of May.” He smiled at Eric, still cuddled into his lap. 

Thomas tried to imagine how it felt for them to have this rare chance to feel safe being openly affectionate in front of other people. He thought he could remember feeling something like that, from back when he and Isaiah were new and they had friends they could actually kiss in front of. It had been around thirty years since then, though. He shook his head and tuned back in to what Andy was saying.

“They call him their shaygetz,” Andy was laughing. Jack looked alarmed.

“I know it sounds bad,” Andy said, smiling, “but I promise it’s all in fun, they love Thomas.”

“It means the non-Jewish boyfriend,” Jack told Eric, who nodded solemnly, probably wondering why a factual designation would come across as insulting.

“Anyway, they love knowing that they can always count on us for their Hanukkah party and first night seder every year. My sisters are both married, too, but they married Jewish men from around here, their in-laws are close by. So they have to divvy up holidays. Thomas and I don’t. It makes my parents happy.”

“So, they have you two over for all the holidays?” Eric seemed uncertain. “Like, you’re ... a family?”

“They are really great,” Andy said, politely ignoring Eric's phrasing. “They love Thomas. My sister Jennifer took the photos at our wedding.” He shrugged. “They know Thomas is … estranged from your family down in Georgia. They love him, they feel bad that he doesn’t really have that any more. I think they like to try to make up for it.”

“We know another mixed couple like you,” Jack said. “But the non-Jewish guy is Muslim, not Christian.”

“We do?” Eric asked, sharply.

“I’m not a Christian!” Thomas said, and he laughed.

“Later,” Jack whispered to Eric, and Thomas figured theirs might not be the only down-low gay relationship from the Samwell Men’s Hockey team.

“Wait,” Eric said, catching up. “You’re not Christian?”

“Not anymore,” Thomas said, sincere. “If I ever actually was. But definitely not now.”

“Are you Jewish?” Jack asked. 

“No,” Thomas said. “I’ve thought idly about converting, every once in a while, but I don’t believe in God, so it doesn’t seem like the thing to do.” He shrugged. “And Andy’s family's synagogue accepts me just the way I am already.”

Eric looked like he wanted to speak and didn’t have any idea what to say. He looked at Thomas, who looked back, waiting. Eventually Eric settled back into Jack’s lap without blurting anything else out.

Jack yawned.

“You boys must be tired!” 

They showed Jack and Eric where the bathroom was, gave them clean towels, agreed on a time to wake up and run together.

“Just so you know,” Thomas said, blushing a bit, “the walls in this place are pretty thick. You can, uh, make some noise. If you need to.”

Eric turned bright red, but he nodded and thanked Thomas, then shut the bedroom door a little abruptly.

Then he opened it again. “Goodnight then, Uncle Thomas! See you at 8am to go running!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The weekend was terrific. They ordered takeout from most of Andy and Thomas’ favorite restaurants, got Ru out to the park so much they thought she would get spoiled, baked three pies together ("regular" Apple, Maple Sugar Crusted Apple, and Pecan) and talked incessantly about everything that concerned Eric.

They made plans to get together again when there was a lull in their hockey seasons.

On Sunday evening, Thomas and Andy waved goodbye to the boys as they got in a cab for the Newark airport.

“I can’t believe I wanted to buy their plane tickets.”

“I know,” Andy laughed. “They flew first class!”


	4. Epilogue

“Wow, that was a hell of a game! And the Stanley Cup!" Thomas smacked his own knee in satisfaction and turned to Andy, whose grin was enormous.

The camera pulled back, and people began to pour onto the ice with the Falconers. Thomas assumed Eric would be one of them, and wondered if they might see him out there with Jack. They had already seen a glimpse or two of his face when the cameras had scanned the crowd during the game. He'd had excellent seats, of course. Seeing his screaming face hadn't been much of a surprise.

"Damn, you said it," Andy agreed. "They really had to push it to the end, huh? But then, Jack ... ."

“I know! I'm really glad we started watching hockey. Our nephew’s boyfriend is a pretty fucking big deal, eh?”

“And it’s exciting, especially for a game with so few goals! I can hardly believe we had that kid here at the apartment for a second visit, just a few months ago.”

“I can hardly wait to see them again," Thomas said. He missed Eric already. "Think they'd be willing to go to a hockey game with us? It might be weird for Jack's schedule, but I know they could explain so much of what we haven't figured out, yet."

"I have no idea how we would work the timing of something like that, but we should absolutely ask. Or, hey, maybe we should go to a Falconers game with Eric, in Providence? Or even here in the city, if they play the Islanders or the Rangers."

"Or the New Jersey Devils, you snob." Thomas laughed and Andy winked at him.

"Damn, I feel all vicariously famous now.” Andy kissed Thomas and stood. “I’m going to grab a ginger ale. Want a Sam Adams?”

“Sure babe, thanks.”

Thomas picked up the remote to change the channel or perhaps turn the television off, when he saw Jack’s Dad come on screen, and he thought to watch. “I wonder if this guy will be Eric’s father-in-law someday soon,” Thomas said, probably not loud enough for Andy to hear him in the kitchen. But the camera suddenly slid away from “Bad Bob” Zimmermann to focus instead on his son. Who was kissing Eric. On international television.

“Andy!” Thomas yelped. “Holy shit! Andy, Andy come here! Now!”

Ru started barking but Thomas didn’t bother to comfort her. 

Andy skidded into the room in sock feet, a drink in each hand, a bit of his ginger ale spilling onto the hardwood floor.

“Jesus Christ, Thomas, what’s the mat-- … holy shit.”

Thomas pointed wordlessly at the television, where Jack and Eric were still kissing as intensely as though they were alone. 

“Damn,” Andy said. He sat heavily onto the couch. “That’s …”

“A hell of a way to come out.”

“Both of them.”

“Oh my lord,” Thomas said, looking away from the screen finally. “That’s right. Eric still hasn’t told Richie and his mother.”

Andy nodded slowly. “Do you think you should … call your brother?”

Thomas blanched, then felt his face grow hot. “I … can’t, Andy. I don’t know his phone number.”

Andy reached over and grabbed Thomas’ hand, and they sat there, watching the chaos on TV.

**Author's Note:**

> And there it ends! Because I have no idea what our beloved Ms Ukazu is going to do next! And since I’ve tracked with canon so far, I’m not interested in stepping outside her lines right now. Maybe another day, and another fic. (I started by shipping Harry/Draco. I am perfectly comfortable with throwing the author’s opinion out the damn window when it suits me.) I hope you enjoyed my first attempts at delving into this wonderful fandom. I am madly in love with Ngozi Ukazu’s world, with Bitty and Jack, and I expect to return to her sandbox soon. But perhaps not by continuing this exact universe, unless with little timestamps? Even though Thomas and Andy are the fucking awesomest, and Bitty utterly deserves to have men like that in his life. I just feel like this idea is complete, now. :)
> 
>  
> 
> ETA: looky!! fortitudecas made an edit for this fic! isn't it awesomesauce?!  
> http://jckzimmermanns.tumblr.com/post/173094050082/thomas-bittle-will-the-circle-be-unbroken


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